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#1
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Vet's Can't Tell When A Cat Is Backed Up With BM?
Hello fellow cat lovers!
I'll condense my very long story ~ About two months ago my cat started defecating outside of the box. Initially I thought it was from stress caused from one of my other cat's. But then I could see he was forcing and trying desperately to relieve himself of his waste, but only very small hard pieces would come out. I brought him to the vet and explained the behavior they gave him a thorough exam (according to them) and found nothing physically wrong with him. Since then he's been to the vet 3 more times and each time, I would ask "are you sure he isn't constipated?" Over and over again the vet would tell me she couldn't feel anything in his stomach, so it couldn't be that. Two nights ago I took Q Tips and Aquaphor (it's like vaseline) and I inserted it in his rectum, and I could see there was a huge piece of bm he couldn't get out. And, oh my poor cat's rectum was so sore I wanted to cry for him. I called them immediately they took him right in he stayed over night, they gave him 3 enemas and she said a lot of bm came out, I asked her to take an x-ray and it showed he still had a lot of poop in him. He's home now and he's still pooping, it's very soft and he has very little control over it. The poor thing attempts to go in the litter box too. The doctor told me she just couldn't feel any waste in him when she examined his stomach. Two different doctors examined him at this vet office. How is it possible they couldn't find out if he was constipated? I figured it out immediately. The total bill for all this came to $977.00! And my poor fur baby suffered needlessly. |
#2
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Vet's Can't Tell When A Cat Is Backed Up With BM?
I think you need to find another vet. They should have taken x-rays to
begin with! $977, for enemas? That is terrible! Please find another vet. Our cat just went through something similar, she had megacolon. Sometimes their colon gets so full of stuff that it stretches out and loses it's elasticity. Once that happens, the cat can continually get constipated because the colon is not able to push the stuff through, and the colon gets bigger than the rectum and the stuff cannot fit through to come out. Do some google searches on cat and megacolon -- you might want to read up on that. We ended up with a surgery to remove her colon and are still working with her recuperation. Good luck, Rhonda Paige wrote: Hello fellow cat lovers! I'll condense my very long story ~ About two months ago my cat started defecating outside of the box. Initially I thought it was from stress caused from one of my other cat's. But then I could see he was forcing and trying desperately to relieve himself of his waste, but only very small hard pieces would come out. I brought him to the vet and explained the behavior they gave him a thorough exam (according to them) and found nothing physically wrong with him. Since then he's been to the vet 3 more times and each time, I would ask "are you sure he isn't constipated?" Over and over again the vet would tell me she couldn't feel anything in his stomach, so it couldn't be that. Two nights ago I took Q Tips and Aquaphor (it's like vaseline) and I inserted it in his rectum, and I could see there was a huge piece of bm he couldn't get out. And, oh my poor cat's rectum was so sore I wanted to cry for him. I called them immediately they took him right in he stayed over night, they gave him 3 enemas and she said a lot of bm came out, I asked her to take an x-ray and it showed he still had a lot of poop in him. He's home now and he's still pooping, it's very soft and he has very little control over it. The poor thing attempts to go in the litter box too. The doctor told me she just couldn't feel any waste in him when she examined his stomach. Two different doctors examined him at this vet office. How is it possible they couldn't find out if he was constipated? I figured it out immediately. The total bill for all this came to $977.00! And my poor fur baby suffered needlessly. |
#3
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Vet's Can't Tell When A Cat Is Backed Up With BM?
That is exactly what the vet told me he had today when I picked him up
"megacolon." I will read up on it. The $977.00 included blood work, a urine specimen, a bath, an over night's stay, being examined by a vet who wrote for a national woman's magazine and a few different prescriptions. And, this vets office was just voted one of the "best" vets in the Washingtonian Magazine. How is your cat doing now? Paige Rhonda wrote: I think you need to find another vet. They should have taken x-rays to begin with! $977, for enemas? That is terrible! Please find another vet. Our cat just went through something similar, she had megacolon. Sometimes their colon gets so full of stuff that it stretches out and loses it's elasticity. Once that happens, the cat can continually get constipated because the colon is not able to push the stuff through, and the colon gets bigger than the rectum and the stuff cannot fit through to come out. Do some google searches on cat and megacolon -- you might want to read up on that. We ended up with a surgery to remove her colon and are still working with her recuperation. Good luck, Rhonda Paige wrote: Hello fellow cat lovers! I'll condense my very long story ~ About two months ago my cat started defecating outside of the box. Initially I thought it was from stress caused from one of my other cat's. But then I could see he was forcing and trying desperately to relieve himself of his waste, but only very small hard pieces would come out. I brought him to the vet and explained the behavior they gave him a thorough exam (according to them) and found nothing physically wrong with him. Since then he's been to the vet 3 more times and each time, I would ask "are you sure he isn't constipated?" Over and over again the vet would tell me she couldn't feel anything in his stomach, so it couldn't be that. Two nights ago I took Q Tips and Aquaphor (it's like vaseline) and I inserted it in his rectum, and I could see there was a huge piece of bm he couldn't get out. And, oh my poor cat's rectum was so sore I wanted to cry for him. I called them immediately they took him right in he stayed over night, they gave him 3 enemas and she said a lot of bm came out, I asked her to take an x-ray and it showed he still had a lot of poop in him. He's home now and he's still pooping, it's very soft and he has very little control over it. The poor thing attempts to go in the litter box too. The doctor told me she just couldn't feel any waste in him when she examined his stomach. Two different doctors examined him at this vet office. How is it possible they couldn't find out if he was constipated? I figured it out immediately. The total bill for all this came to $977.00! And my poor fur baby suffered needlessly. |
#4
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Vet's Can't Tell When A Cat Is Backed Up With BM?
Hi Paige,
Sweeter is still recovering. She had a second surgery because of a leak in the stitched area of the colon. She came down with a nasty abdominal infection. That was scary -- it was the first time it had happened for this surgeon and he's done a lot of these surgeries. She now has some swollen glands around her face and we're trying to track down the cause. We had more tests done today. It is probably something completely different, but may be occurring because her system was compromised with 2 surgeries. It is never boring... Your bill still sounds like a lot for what was done. You're in the best position though to judge whether you trust their treatment. My fingers are crossed for your cat, and for Sweeter. Rhonda Paige wrote: That is exactly what the vet told me he had today when I picked him up "megacolon." I will read up on it. The $977.00 included blood work, a urine specimen, a bath, an over night's stay, being examined by a vet who wrote for a national woman's magazine and a few different prescriptions. And, this vets office was just voted one of the "best" vets in the Washingtonian Magazine. How is your cat doing now? Paige Rhonda wrote: I think you need to find another vet. They should have taken x-rays to begin with! $977, for enemas? That is terrible! Please find another vet. Our cat just went through something similar, she had megacolon. Sometimes their colon gets so full of stuff that it stretches out and loses it's elasticity. Once that happens, the cat can continually get constipated because the colon is not able to push the stuff through, and the colon gets bigger than the rectum and the stuff cannot fit through to come out. Do some google searches on cat and megacolon -- you might want to read up on that. We ended up with a surgery to remove her colon and are still working with her recuperation. Good luck, Rhonda Paige wrote: Hello fellow cat lovers! I'll condense my very long story ~ About two months ago my cat started defecating outside of the box. Initially I thought it was from stress caused from one of my other cat's. But then I could see he was forcing and trying desperately to relieve himself of his waste, but only very small hard pieces would come out. I brought him to the vet and explained the behavior they gave him a thorough exam (according to them) and found nothing physically wrong with him. Since then he's been to the vet 3 more times and each time, I would ask "are you sure he isn't constipated?" Over and over again the vet would tell me she couldn't feel anything in his stomach, so it couldn't be that. Two nights ago I took Q Tips and Aquaphor (it's like vaseline) and I inserted it in his rectum, and I could see there was a huge piece of bm he couldn't get out. And, oh my poor cat's rectum was so sore I wanted to cry for him. I called them immediately they took him right in he stayed over night, they gave him 3 enemas and she said a lot of bm came out, I asked her to take an x-ray and it showed he still had a lot of poop in him. He's home now and he's still pooping, it's very soft and he has very little control over it. The poor thing attempts to go in the litter box too. The doctor told me she just couldn't feel any waste in him when she examined his stomach. Two different doctors examined him at this vet office. How is it possible they couldn't find out if he was constipated? I figured it out immediately. The total bill for all this came to $977.00! And my poor fur baby suffered needlessly. |
#5
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Vet's Can't Tell When A Cat Is Backed Up With BM?
On Fri 18 Aug 2006 11:44:17p, Rhonda wrote in
rec.pets.cats.health+behav ): Our cat just went through something similar, she had megacolon. Sometimes their colon gets so full of stuff that it stretches out and loses it's elasticity. Once that happens, the cat can continually get constipated because the colon is not able to push the stuff through, and the colon gets bigger than the rectum and the stuff cannot fit through to come out. And google "stricture" because this can cause scar tissue. -- Cheryl |
#6
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Vet's Can't Tell When A Cat Is Backed Up With BM?
"Paige" wrote in message
oups.com... Hello fellow cat lovers! I'll condense my very long story ~ About two months ago my cat started defecating outside of the box. Initially I thought it was from stress caused from one of my other cat's. But then I could see he was forcing and trying desperately to relieve himself of his waste, but only very small hard pieces would come out. I brought him to the vet and explained the behavior they gave him a thorough exam (according to them) and found nothing physically wrong with him. Since then he's been to the vet 3 more times and each time, I would ask "are you sure he isn't constipated?" Over and over again the vet would tell me she couldn't feel anything in his stomach, so it couldn't be that. Two nights ago I took Q Tips and Aquaphor (it's like vaseline) and I inserted it in his rectum, and I could see there was a huge piece of bm he couldn't get out. And, oh my poor cat's rectum was so sore I wanted to cry for him. I called them immediately they took him right in he stayed over night, they gave him 3 enemas and she said a lot of bm came out, I asked her to take an x-ray and it showed he still had a lot of poop in him. He's home now and he's still pooping, it's very soft and he has very little control over it. The poor thing attempts to go in the litter box too. The doctor told me she just couldn't feel any waste in him when she examined his stomach. Two different doctors examined him at this vet office. How is it possible they couldn't find out if he was constipated? I figured it out immediately. The total bill for all this came to $977.00! And my poor fur baby suffered needlessly. Last summer our cat at work, Harriet, got very blocked up. Every vet she saw (3 vets at two different groups) had no problems feeling the blockage. The first practice just gave her enemas, not sure what kind, and she would get blocked again immediately. They reluctantly prescribed medication and I finally took her to another practice who gave her a better enema and upped her medication. She has been good since then, almost a year now. She still goes outside the box often and her poop is sometimes a little large/hard but she is going. If I notice she's having trouble I just up her Lactulose dose a bit for one or two doses and it loosens everything up. We spent a lot more than $977 between the two vets on her, especially with the first useless practice. -- Liz |
#7
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Vet's Can't Tell When A Cat Is Backed Up With BM?
Hi Rhonda,
I agree with you, "they should have taken x-rays to begin with. Why did I have to tell her to take an x-ray before I brought him home yesterday? This paragraph from my former post is said with utter sarcasm........ The $977.00 included blood work, a urine specimen, a bath, an over night's stay, being examined by a vet who wrote for a national woman's magazine and a few different prescriptions. And, this vets office was just voted one of the "best" vets in the Washingtonian Magazine. I can hear the love you have for Sweeter. Please keep us posted on her test results. I'm saying a prayer for her and you. Paige Rhonda wrote: Hi Paige, Sweeter is still recovering. She had a second surgery because of a leak in the stitched area of the colon. She came down with a nasty abdominal infection. That was scary -- it was the first time it had happened for this surgeon and he's done a lot of these surgeries. She now has some swollen glands around her face and we're trying to track down the cause. We had more tests done today. It is probably something completely different, but may be occurring because her system was compromised with 2 surgeries. It is never boring... Your bill still sounds like a lot for what was done. You're in the best position though to judge whether you trust their treatment. My fingers are crossed for your cat, and for Sweeter. Rhonda Paige wrote: That is exactly what the vet told me he had today when I picked him up "megacolon." I will read up on it. The $977.00 included blood work, a urine specimen, a bath, an over night's stay, being examined by a vet who wrote for a national woman's magazine and a few different prescriptions. And, this vets office was just voted one of the "best" vets in the Washingtonian Magazine. How is your cat doing now? Paige Rhonda wrote: I think you need to find another vet. They should have taken x-rays to begin with! $977, for enemas? That is terrible! Please find another vet. Our cat just went through something similar, she had megacolon. Sometimes their colon gets so full of stuff that it stretches out and loses it's elasticity. Once that happens, the cat can continually get constipated because the colon is not able to push the stuff through, and the colon gets bigger than the rectum and the stuff cannot fit through to come out. Do some google searches on cat and megacolon -- you might want to read up on that. We ended up with a surgery to remove her colon and are still working with her recuperation. Good luck, Rhonda Paige wrote: Hello fellow cat lovers! I'll condense my very long story ~ About two months ago my cat started defecating outside of the box. Initially I thought it was from stress caused from one of my other cat's. But then I could see he was forcing and trying desperately to relieve himself of his waste, but only very small hard pieces would come out. I brought him to the vet and explained the behavior they gave him a thorough exam (according to them) and found nothing physically wrong with him. Since then he's been to the vet 3 more times and each time, I would ask "are you sure he isn't constipated?" Over and over again the vet would tell me she couldn't feel anything in his stomach, so it couldn't be that. Two nights ago I took Q Tips and Aquaphor (it's like vaseline) and I inserted it in his rectum, and I could see there was a huge piece of bm he couldn't get out. And, oh my poor cat's rectum was so sore I wanted to cry for him. I called them immediately they took him right in he stayed over night, they gave him 3 enemas and she said a lot of bm came out, I asked her to take an x-ray and it showed he still had a lot of poop in him. He's home now and he's still pooping, it's very soft and he has very little control over it. The poor thing attempts to go in the litter box too. The doctor told me she just couldn't feel any waste in him when she examined his stomach. Two different doctors examined him at this vet office. How is it possible they couldn't find out if he was constipated? I figured it out immediately. The total bill for all this came to $977.00! And my poor fur baby suffered needlessly. |
#8
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Vet's Can't Tell When A Cat Is Backed Up With BM?
Original message snipped
Hi Liz, The vet claims my cat was so large she couldn't feel the blockage. He is long, but he only weighs 12lbs. If she couldn't feel anything, she should have taken an x-ray to rule out a blockage. She prescribed Lactulose too. My mother had a cat with the same problem, and her vet told her to put a 1/2 tsp. of Metamucil on his wet food. It worked for him, but how many cats will eat wet food with Metamucil on it? Glad to hear Harriet is doing good. Paige Last summer our cat at work, Harriet, got very blocked up. Every vet she saw (3 vets at two different groups) had no problems feeling the blockage. The first practice just gave her enemas, not sure what kind, and she would get blocked again immediately. They reluctantly prescribed medication and I finally took her to another practice who gave her a better enema and upped her medication. She has been good since then, almost a year now. She still goes outside the box often and her poop is sometimes a little large/hard but she is going. If I notice she's having trouble I just up her Lactulose dose a bit for one or two doses and it loosens everything up. We spent a lot more than $977 between the two vets on her, especially with the first useless practice. -- Liz |
#9
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Vet's Can't Tell When A Cat Is Backed Up With BM?
Paige wrote: The vet claims my cat was so large she couldn't feel the blockage. He is long, but he only weighs 12lbs. If she couldn't feel anything, she should have taken an x-ray to rule out a blockage. She prescribed Lactulose too. My mother had a cat with the same problem, and her vet told her to put a 1/2 tsp. of Metamucil on his wet food. It worked for him, but how many cats will eat wet food with Metamucil on it? Sorry to hear the problems you have had with your vet. Perhaps if you give your location, somebody here can recommend a better vet for you. Several years ago, Kira had a problem, probably constipation. I had to take her to an emergency vet since it was Sunday, and my vet is closed. She was sitting there growling, so I knew she was in pain. The vet couldn't find anything, but he did a thorough "massage" during his exam, and that seemed to do the trick. He figured there was probably a minor blockage in her system somewhere. She was also dehydrated, so he gave her a shot for that and some meds. Within an hour of being home, she did go to the bathroom, so whatever it was worked its way through. So, last year, when she was acting in a similar way late at night. I took her to me bed and gently massaged her tummy. Half an hour later, she had a good BM and went back to eating. A couple weeks later, it happened again, and this time I felt something. I thought she might have some cancerous mass, but it was gone by the next morning. I took Kira to the vet anyway since it was now a recurring event. He gave me a tube of laxative to do a couple times a week. And he told me what I felt was probably just a larger BM. So, even I could feel a BM waiting to happen. Also, years ago, when my dog had an x-ray for other reasons, it was quite clear that she needed to go to the bathroom. I know it is harder to do an x-ray with a cat, but if there is a recurring problem, and this is questionable, an x-ray would seem like an obvious choice to see what is going on, or at least rule it out. |
#10
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Vet's Can't Tell When A Cat Is Backed Up With BM?
"Paige" wrote in message ps.com... Original message snipped Hi Liz, The vet claims my cat was so large she couldn't feel the blockage. He is long, but he only weighs 12lbs. If she couldn't feel anything, she should have taken an x-ray to rule out a blockage. She prescribed Lactulose too. My mother had a cat with the same problem, and her vet told her to put a 1/2 tsp. of Metamucil on his wet food. It worked for him, but how many cats will eat wet food with Metamucil on it? Glad to hear Harriet is doing good. Paige Paige, Both verts did not recommend giving Harriet any type of fiber supplement because they said it would just make her stools larger. Since she has trouble passing them and they're large enough as it is, she gets a low residue prescription dry food (supposed to produce less stool) and high quality canned food like Wellness, made without grains. The vets said that regular food has too much filler, which then produces more waste. The combination of the food, the Lactulose stool softener and Propulsid to help move everything along has been working. Her stools are still bigger than normal but she's able to pass them, even if she does pass a lot of them onto the floor! I can't believe that your vet couldn't feel a blockage in a 12 pound cat. Harriet isn't large and she had lost weight before her problem got so bad, and has lost more since. That's not all due to her health - someone at work who used to feed her junk food non-stop left last September, right after this all started up again. But, both vets that she went to took x-rays just to rule out other causes of her constipation. -- Liz |
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